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What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 27 July to 2 August 2026

MelbourningBy Updated:No Comments7 Mins Read
Melbourne Rare Book Fair
  • The SmallBiz Expo is on at MCEC on 29-30 July.
  • The Melbourne Rare Book Fair is on from 30 July to 1 August.
  • Explore over 60 of Australia’s leading dealers and thousands of items for sale at The Melbourne Fair when it returns to Caulfield Racecourse from 30 July to 2 August. From antique rings and vintage designer fashion to beautiful furniture, fine art, jewellery, decorative arts, books and antiquities, there’s something for everyone.
  • The Melbourne Star Wheel is about to spin again from Thursday 30 July. Head to District Docklands from 6.30pm, find your spot, and watch the switch-on unfold at 6.45pm with a fireworks display and the Star’s first full-lighting animation sequence — its debut performance in years.
  • From Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August at Cinema Nova, Monster Fest Weekender: Highway to Hell delivers a white-knuckle ride through some of the wildest, weirdest and most dangerous road  movies ever made.
  • Ballarat is once again rolling out the pastry mat for a full month of flaky indulgence. Back for its fourth year, with Ballarat’s Best Pie running from 1-31 August where you can take your pick from 30 savoury and sweet pies at some of the city’s top cafes, restaurants, bakeries and pubs.
  • Melbourne Rare Book Week is on until 1 August.
  • The Linden New Art Postcard Show running until 1 August is a winter classic in St Kilda. Now in its 36th year, the exhibition brings together up to 1,000 postcard sized artworks by artists from across Australia.
  • Welcome To Thornbury is holding a Mulled Wine and Hot Cheese Party on 1 August.
  • The Melbourne Board Game Market is on at the Coburg Town Hall on 1 August.
  • The 2026 Sunshine Model Railway Club Annual Model Railway Exhibition is on in Braybrook on 1-2 August.
  • The Essendon Gem Show is on 1-2 August.
  • On Saturday 1 August, Melburnians are invited to experience the bold, the rare, the fortified and the unforgettable, as the wines of North and North East Victoria are poured within the walls of the historic Old Melbourne Gaol City Watch House for the North x North East Victorian Wine festival.
  • Monash University’s Peninsula and Caulfield campus open day is on 1 August.
  • The Franchising Expo 2026 is on at MCEC on 1-2 August.
  • The Bright Winter Festival is on until 1 August.
  • The Islamic Society of Geelong is hosting a community festival in Corio on 1 August.
  • Manor Made Market is a one-day makers market and arts festival staged in the grand sandstone setting of the historic Barwon Park Mansion in Winchelsea on 1 August.
  •  On 1–2 August 2026, Shepparton hosts the 2026 DEKA Trifecta Weekend. A two-day, multi-format fitness event at the Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE).
  • The Australian Jousting Championship returns to Kryal Castle in Ballarat on  on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August.
  • The Bendigo African Festival is on 1 August.
  • Step into a world of colour, craftsmanship and nostalgia at the next Australian Pottery & Australiana Fair in Bendigo on 1 August.
  • The Noojee and Neerim Truffle Festival until 2 August will celebrate West Gippsland’s French black truffles and the region’s growing reputation for cool-climate produce.
  • Goldfields Gothic is a weekend of events in Maldon until 2 August themed around celebrating the dark side of the goldfields. Inspired by intriguing stories of the past.
  • Eroni’s Circus is in Rutherglen until 2 August.
  • Elmo’s Circus Dream is at Waurn Ponds until 2 August.
  • Run Echuca Moama on 2 August  is a 21.1-kilometre, 10-kilometre and 5-kilometre run, walk or wheel (mobility aids only) event. The unique and beautiful course weaves its way across the old bridge and new bridge covering both states Victoria and New South Wales.
  • Deakin University’s Warrnambool campus open day is on 2 August.
  • The Benalla Holistic and Psychic Expo is on 2 August.
  • The Geelong Psychic and Wellbeing Expo is on 2 August.
  • The Sheepvention Rural Expo is on in Hamilton on 2-3 August
  • Lightscape – Melbourne’s favourite winter tradition is returning to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne until 2 August. Expect brand-new large-scale installations by leading Australian and international artists, trail-side treats and a mesmerising world of colour,  music and light beneath the night sky.
  • Running until 2 August at Palace Cinemas the Nordic Film Festival will showcase new films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, including award winners, festival favourites and highly anticipated releases from some of the region’s most celebrated filmmakers.
  • The Melbourne Card Fair is on in Thornbury on 2 August.
  • The Vic Market Record Fair is on 2 August.
  • Monash University’s Clayton campus open day is on 2 August.
  • RMIT University’s Bundoora campus open day is on 2 August.
  • La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus open day is on 2 August.
  • The Glen Huntly Vintage Car Show on 2 August will feature a stunning display of classic and vintage cars, live  music, kids activities, and food offering.
  • The Second Life Market is on in Kensington on 2 August.
  • The Carrum Downs Winter Wonderland Market is on 2 August.
  • The Bay Rodders Swap Meet is on in Dandenong South on 2 August.
  • Melbourne’s iconic Winter Night Market is making its return to Queen Victoria Market this winter, bringing fire pits, street  food, live  music and late-night shopping back to the city every Wednesday night until 26 August.
  • Until 31 August 2026, the Catchment to Coast exhibition will be on display at Cardinia Cultural Centre, exploring the flow on effect of water across the shire.
  • Melbourne is getting a deep dive into vinyl, sound and music culture, with RISING and ACMI unveiling The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, at ACMI. Running throughout this year’s RISING event and extended until 31 August, the large scale exhibition explores how vinyl and music have shaped art, fashion, film and social movements.
  • Melbourne’s winter nights are set to sparkle as National Gallery of Victoria unveils the return of NGV Friday Nights alongside the highly anticipated 2026 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces: CARTIER exhibition. Running every Friday until 2 October at NGV International, the after-hours series will combine late-night exhibition access with live music, film screenings, French-inspired food and immersive performances inspired by the world of Cartier.
  • A dazzling world-exclusive Cartier exhibition will run at the National Gallery of Victoria until 4 October featuring more than 300 jewels, tiaras, necklaces, brooches, timepieces and design drawings, making the exhibition the largest presentation of the legendary jewellery house ever staged in Australia.
  • In a landmark moment for its 130th year, Geelong Gallery, in partnership with Art Exhibitions Australia and ACPA Advising Curating Producing Art, is proud to present Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel, Art Dealer Among the Artists, the most ambitious international exhibition in the Gallery’s history, running until 11 October.
  • Melbourne Museum will open ROME: Empire, Power, People until Sunday 25 October 2026.The Melbourne-exclusive exhibition will bring more than 150 objects from two of Italy’s leading  museums to Australia for the first time, offering an in-depth look at the rise and rule of one of history’s most influential civilisations.
  • A thought-provoking new exhibition EMERGENCE[Y] at Science Gallery Melbournebrings together artists, researchers, and designers to examine how humanity might adapt to a rapidly changing planet until 5 December 2026.
  • Colour at Scienceworks in Spotswood is a vibrant, hands-on exhibition exploring the surprising science behind how we see the world, running until 26 January 2027.
  • Home is Football: Belonging in Australian Soccer at the Immigration Museum until 27 January 2027 explores how the world game has shaped identity, migration and community across Australia. Featuring stories from Ange Postecoglou, Lydia Williams and grassroots players, the exhibition celebrates football’s power to connect people both on and off the pitch.
  • Shane Warne’s legacy will take centre stage at a major exhibition presented by the Melbourne Cricket Club of the late cricket icon’s most prized personal items at the Australian Sports Museum until March 2027/. WARNE: Treasures of a Legend will feature 48 pieces from his career, offering rare access to objects that shaped one of Australia’s most celebrated sporting stories.
  • World of the Book returns until 17 May 2027 – State Library Victoria’s largest ever tribute to women writers, alongside hundreds of extraordinary Australian and international works from the State Collection. Now in its 21st year, this beloved exhibition brings together more than 400 rare, remarkable and historically significant items from c. 2000 BCE to today, many on public display for the first time.
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